History

History

The European Green Party was founded on February 22, 2004 at the Fourth Congress of the European Federation of Green Parties (EFGP) in Rome attended by over 1,000 delegates. Thirty-four Green parties from all over Europe have joined this new pan-European party. The Greens were the first to form a political party at European level. The other European political federations followed suit in the period 2004-2006. For the Greens this was the culmination of a process which had started with the formation of a loose coordination 1979-1993 and the EFGP 1993 -2004. The first goal of the re-organized European Greens was the 2004 European Parliament election campaign. The EGP ran the first election campaign in Europe that featured common motifs and slogans in all EU countries.

Greens had first contested the European Parliament elections in 1979 achieving representation there in 1984 as part of wider and diverse grouping, the Rainbow Alliance. Following the 1989 elections the Greens formed a separate parliamentary group, The Green Group in the European Parliament (GGEP). Reduced in numbers in the 1994 elections the Greens formed part of the European Radical Alliance but a successful outcome in 1999 allowed them to form a combined group with the European Free Alliance having regionalist parties as members (GGEP/EFA) which is the current parliamentary group.

The loose alliance of the early years has developed into a definite structure capable of giving political expression to its 34 member parties through common policy documents which are regarded as signal achievements in view of the wealth of diversity which Greens possess. Coming together through the EGP we have a direct experience of the different political realities we represent and the different experiences in government and in opposition which we have made over the years at national, regional and municipal levels. We know that we are a young political formation and part of a process which cannot be driven too far nor too fast.

Our attitude towards the EU has changed also perhaps as we have changed the EU through our participation in its institutions. While we remain critical of various policies fundamental to the EU, we have been drivers of change punching far above our weight and bringing about change in the daily lives of Europeans everywhere as well as a change in the positions taken by the EU on an international level. We have always been a political force clearly identifiable because of our commitment to environmental responsibility, individual freedom, inclusive democracy, diversity, gender equality, global sustainable development and non-violence. It is not a negligible achievement that other, larger and older political families now follow on the path we had chosen for ourselves long before.